Better Days

Chapter 292

Author's Note: Things are getting interesting in Alexandria, aren't they? Once again, I know this is long, and lots of talking, but I'm all about the interactions. You guys are still hanging tough with me! Review please.

Summer and Glenn's POV:

Summer sighed as she stood, looking around. She shook her head as she turned to leave.

"Hey, Summer, hold up," Glenn told her. "You alright?"

"I'm just going to head out," Summer answered.

Glenn nodded. "If that's what you want, I'm not going to stop you. But, I'm here to listen you know."

Summer sighed. "I know Glenn. I keep looking around the room and just think when the other shoe is going to drop, you know. How many of these people are going to die because they don't get it? Getting close to people now a days, it's not worth it anymore. Why should I talk to these people, get to know them? They're just going to wind up dead. They don't know how to survive."

Glenn squeezed her hand. "Hey, look at me," he told her.

Summer looked at him. "What?"

"Remember back at the quarry? Before Rick showed up?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah," Summer answered.

"There's something that I never told you. I looked around the camp and wondered how many of us would still be standing in a couple years. I wasn't on that list, I didn't think I had it in me," Glenn explained.

"But you're still here," Summer told him.

"You're right, I still am, and so are you. We were naïve back then, we didn't know how bad these things were, how bad humans were. This place, we need this place, all of us. It's easy to forget that we were like this at one time, that we forgot how bad it is out there. The past month or so, we were forced to remember," Glenn told her. "I understand that you are afraid, afraid of losing someone else, so am I. But that doesn't mean we stop living, stop caring, stop trying to be the good people, we can't. It's not who we are, it's not in us. You know that, don't you? Deep down, there's that Summer with a big heart that wants nothing to do to protect ever one, especially the kids. You were a lot braver then I was back at the quarry, and it amazed me because well you were a kid. But you're not a kid now. You're a grown woman, my best friend but you're still my kid sister."

Summer smirked and shook her head. "We can make it together. We can only make it together, right?"

"She listens!" Glenn exclaimed with a smirk. "So, stay just for a bit? If it gets to much, I'll walk you out," he assured her.

Summer nodded. "Yeah, I'll stay for a bit," she said with a small smile.

"Come on," Glenn told her as he guided her to the rest of the group.

Mitch Daryl and Mar's POV:

Mar smiled as she excused her self from a group of women and went over to where Mitch was. "You tried, you know? You want me to walk you back to the house? I can see that you are uncomfortable," she told him.

"You wouldn't be mad?" Mitch asked.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I get it, I really do. It's just been all of us for a while, and this is something different. You gave it a chance, that's all we asked for," Mar answered as she stood up. "Come on."

Phoebe smiled as she came in the door. "Leaving already?" she asked. "I don't blame you, I hated it when Deanna did this for Liam and me. You guys fitting in alright?"

"As well as can be expected. Where's Liam?" Mar asked.

"He's coming over with Noel. They got involved in a serious game of chess, and that's something I don't want to intrude on. It can get messy," Phoebe answered with a laugh. "I saw Daryl heading over here," she told them.

"He's probably only coming to check on us," Mitch answered.

"Well why don't we go meet him outside, and he can take you back. I'll be inside in a minute," Mar told Phoebe as she walked out the door with Mitch. She saw Daryl walking away. "Daryl?"

Daryl turned. "Phoebe tell you I was out here?"

"She mentioned that she passed you. You have perfect timing, can you take Mitch with you?"

Daryl nodded. "You're not gonna try to make me go in?" he asked Mar.

Mar walked off the porch and kissed him. "No one makes you do anything that you don't want to do, and I'm not going to start now. I swear the two of you are going to drive me crazy worrying if I'm going to be mad at you. I love both of you and the only thing I care about is that both of you are happy and safe, and I think that's what the two of you want for me. So, no more asking if I'm going to make you go in or if I'm going to be mad if you go. You know what's making me mad? The two of you asking silly stuff!"

Daryl grinned as he looked at Mitch. "We got your momma all riled up."

Mar crossed her arms and looked at him. "You think this is funny Daryl Dixon?"

Mitch gave a small grin. "You should see your face," he told her.

Mar laughed as she squeezed Mitch. "Oh really?" she said as she kissed the side of his cheek. "Go on you two, before I change my mind."

"You could come with us," Daryl told her.

Mar squeezed his arm. "Leave Jewel to fend for herself with the Stepford Wives? She's a Dixon, just like you are and this is as uncomfortable for her as it is for you. She has to stay, and be with Rick, so I'm just going to help keep an eye on Judy and Hope. Don't forget, I was raised in Boston with a very powerful father and then in-laws that threw dinner parties all the time. I can fake a smile with the best of them," she told them. "Go on now, I'm going back inside."

"Let's go before she changes her mind dad!" Mitch told Daryl.

Rick, Carol and Jewel's POV:

Jewel came back from checking on Hope and Judith. "Lexi is following everyone around who takes Judy. Hope is content with going between Mika and Beth, both of who are being quite insistent to anyone who comes to take Hope," she said as she kissed Rick. "You doing alright?"

"As good as can be expected. You?" Rick asked as he put an arm around her.

"If you're asking if I'm tempted to take a drink, the answer is yes. But, I'd like to think that I'm stronger then to bend to the will of available beer, scotch or brandy," Jewel answered.

"You are," Rick told her as he kissed her.

Carol walked over to the two. "Look, she's here, which means it's empty, so," she said as she nodded toward Olivia.

"I'll go with you," Rick said as he straightened up.

"You're just looking for any excuse to get out of here," Jewel teased him.

"You need to stay," Carol told him. "Remember what I said," she told them as she went out.

"You're invisible," Rick said as he shook his head.

"Good way to be, wish I was," Jewel told him.

"Hey Rick, Jewel, this is my husband Pete," Jessie said as she walked over to them.

"We've met," both Rick and Jewel said in unison, both standing up a bit taller.

"You have? Pete you didn't tell me," Jessie told him.

"Jewel was in the clinic today, and Rick and I merely exchanged names as he was taking a walk with his wife," Pete told her. "I wanted to thank you for taking on being our constable. If we keep growing at this rate, we're gonna need even more," he told them.

"I hope so," Rick answered.

"Rick I'm surprised, drinking without your wife having one, not very gentlemanly of you," Pete said. "I'm going to go get Jessie a drink, why don't you come with me and get Jewel one. Bet you're a scotch girl, am I right Jewel?"

Jewel held Rick's arm and squeezed it tightly so he wouldn't go off. "Rick is very gentlemanly, he offered not to drink because I'm an alcoholic, but I told him it was fine, he deserves to let lose a little. I'm helping him keep an eye on things, that's what strong married couples do, watch out for each other. I do believe that Rick should go refill his drink, and maybe you could pour yourself some iced water, or soda. It smells like you were drinking before you got here. I'm sure that as a doctor, I don't have to tell you what constant alcohol can do to your body. Sorry, I'm just worried about you, since you are one of our doctors and we are neighbor's," she simply told him.

"I'll be back," Rick said as he kissed her and went with Pete leaving her alone with Jessie.

"Pete's not bad, you know. It seems you two got off on the wrong foot," Jessie told Jewel.

Jewel looked at Jessie and took a sip of her ice water. "You're husband seems to be the type of man that expects all women to be afraid of him, or at least get out of his way when he's around. I'm not that type of woman," she simply told her.

Jessie nodded. "It'll take him some time to get used to it. He's not used to strong women," she answered. "So are you having fun?"

Jewel raised her eyebrow and wished she had something stronger then water in her glass. "You wouldn't have caught me being at one of these things before the turn. I'm here to support Rick and everyone else."

"Where else would you be able to see everyone interact like this?" Jessie asked. "Ordinary life like before, well not like before," she corrected herself.

"This wasn't my life before," Jewel told her.

"But it can be now. It's better now. Not out there, but in here. You know, everyone's been through it somehow. Everyone. And a lot of things disappeared. But a lot of bullshit went with it. They're all from totally different backgrounds, different places. They never would have even met. And now they're part of each other's lives. They are each other's lives. I'm just saying, we all lost things, but we got something back. It isn't enough, but it's something," Jessie told her.

Jewel looked at her. "Yeah, it's something. I wouldn't have given Rick a second look before all this….I would have missed out on something great," she told her.

"Then you wouldn't have that beautiful baby girl of yours," Jessie responded. "You're not out there anymore, you don't have to be so strong, so on guard. We all get it," she said.

"I don't think you do, not really, but I do appreciate the thought," she said as she turned to hear someone playing the piano. She gave a small smile as she saw Beth sitting at the piano and Summer sitting next to her. "They haven't sung together in a long time…."

"They're relaxing," Jessie told her. "There's someone I want you to meet, I think he'll be able to help you stay sober."

Jewel looked at Jessie as she excused herself.

TBC